Devices of this type are known in many embodiments and are disposed along the roller conveyors above the roller conveyor plane opposite one another and can be moved toward and away from one another on linearly shiftable bodies. As a rule these are independent or mounted on support frames connected with the roller stand for displacement thereon (see Japanese Patent Document JP 58157516 and JP 3433304). The shifting is effected by means of control arrangements with the aid of electrically or hydraulically operating drives (JP 8066710).
The guide devices with independent carriers form an arrangement with a more or less large spacing upstream and downstream from the respective mill stand because of the spatial requirements. In the case of a vertical roll stand they require special controls which determine the respective positions of the guide devices to match the positions of the vertical rolls of this mill stand.